Game 4 Preview: Clemson hosts Stanford for homecoming

Hey guys, I’m back and I think WE’RE back as a football team that can do some real damage in 2024. Anytime a QB is playing at an elite level, your team has a chance to score in every game. Considering Clemson’s prowess on the primary defense and a guy named Phil Mafah as the RB1, this becomes even more problematic for the opponent. The most pleasant surprise might be that the offensive line is coming into its own and really playing in a way we probably haven’t seen since 2018 or 2019. I’m confident that any team hoping to beat the Tigers better now can bring several ingredients to the table. Let’s see how ACC newcomer Stanford does.

Clemson Defense vs. Stanford Offense: It was difficult to truly assess this year’s defense through three games. The Tigers were slightly outnumbered against UGA as Shelton Lewis was not ready to play and the first group was eventually exhausted. The first team defense has been very good for the most part in each first half, but the true depth is still being worked on. Being good in the first half is all you need when your offense is destroying people. We’ll see what happens if it comes down to a game where the Tigers end up in a low-scoring situation, but I doubt this week will be the one.

Still, there are some aspects of Stanford to be concerned about. The Cardinal upset Syracuse last week in Syracuse in large part by dominating the lines of scrimmage. The Orange had better capabilities overall, but ultimately the war in the trenches made the difference. Can Stanford’s OL at least shut down the Clemson front so their run-heavy offense can function? Neither team really ran the ball much in the first team Tigers defense. NC State made a few plays with shots but couldn’t execute much at all until the crowds were substituted in the second half.

Stanford has a good running threat in QB Ashton Daniels and runs a lot of option concepts that require the defense to play good use football. They need to find a way to control the ball and keep Clemson’s offense on the sideline even more than they did against Syracuse last week. When they lost to TCU in Week 1, the Horned Frogs were able to run 76 offensive plays, while Cal Poly and Syracuse were only able to play 50 snaps each in those two Stanford wins. Stanford has a top WR in Elic Ayomanor, who has made his share of highlight-reel catches in tough situations. He’s a guy Terrell and Lucus will have to contain when and if the Tigers go into single coverage. The Cardinal didn’t move him as much as NCSU did with Concepcion, but that’s always subject to change and should be noted.

Clemson’s defense will primarily look to stop the run, and that’s how it should be. They were happy to take advantage of their chances with Bailey’s throws last week, and while Bailey made some good throws and plays, it wasn’t nearly enough to allow NCSU to come close to controlling the game last week. Syracuse was unable to do that, however, and Stanford’s nearly 180 yards rushing allowed them to maintain balance and control the clock.

Clemson’s gap integrity and tackling need to be on point. The Tigers need to improve their appreciation for cycling concepts after getting burned on several of them last week. As Brent Venables used to say, teams are always “tested” by how well they overcome a weakness from a previous game. They figure Stanford will see if Clemson thinks about covering backs and tight ends in wheel actions.

Clemson offense vs. Stanford defense: Stanford’s heyday between Jim Harbaugh’s and David Shaw’s tenures featured strong defense and a physical run-oriented offense. Elements of these things still remain, although the Cardinal as a program has clearly been forgotten from the end of Shaw’s time to the present day. This year’s version has withstood the three-game run well, but they have yet to face an offensive line like what Clemson brings to the table (and it feels great typing those words, by the way). Clemson quickly showed NCSU that the Tigers would kill them with the running game if they didn’t have extra numbers in the box, starting with Cade Klubnik’s electric 55-yard TD run on the first drive. When NCSU tried to reduce big numbers, Cade recognized those looks and skillfully converted them in the passing game. This is when a crime becomes virtually unstoppable if it does not self-destruct when carried out.

Stanford has no choice but to have at least six players ready in the box to keep Clemson from running the ball at will. The only way that will change is if we suddenly see Stanford’s DL beat the Clemson OL. Even UGA really couldn’t do that, so the chances of it happening aren’t great. NCSU tried just about every twist, stunt and blitz they could think of and failed at most of them.

I expect Stanford to try out a version of the 2023 Duke defensive plan this weekend. They’ll be hoping to keep the safeties deep enough to handle deep passes while also working to rally and attack hard the bottom throws that will open up as well as Clemson’s running game. They want the game to stay between the 20s and force Clemson to kick FGs and hopefully turn the ball over or get penalties to derail things. Unfortunately for Stanford, Cade Klubnik is a different animal now than he was last season and his supporting cast has taken him to another level. Clemson’s skills are now winning in space, now blocking the field, and Garrett Riley has a number of options to attack all three levels of a defense. The Cardinals were already struggling to defend the pass very well, giving up well over 300 yards through the air to TCU and Syracuse.

Special teams: One thing is for sure: the Clemson FG and Kickoff teams have had their work cut out for them on extra points and kickoffs in the last two games. Antonio Williams made another good return last week and this time he didn’t fail. It’s proving to be a dangerous weapon back there compared to a fair catching machine like we’re used to. I always say that big upsets on special teams against the favored team are usually big things. As long as Clemson stays healthy here, Stanford’s chances should remain slim.

In total: I predicted Clemson would eliminate NCSU last week and I’m happy to pat myself on the back because I was right. I wasn’t expecting another 50+ points, but I definitely felt like the offense against App State had as much to do with Clemson as it did with the Mountaineers. Last week just solidified that for me. This team completely trusts their QB and what the plays require from everyone. All the doubts and doubts we saw against UGA (and that was really what held the offense back that day, rather than being completely physically dominated like in the 2021 game) have been erased. Stanford has some good plays and I respect their win at Syracuse, but they are in trouble this week.

Clemson: 48
Stanford: 10